Female Entrepreneurs: 4 Stories From Women Founders

Female entrepreneurs share hard-won lessons on building brands from scratch. Shay Mitchell, Doris Raymond, Alexandra Scholtz, and Melody Ehsani reveal what drives their success.

by Shay Mitchell4 Mar 2019 • 5 min read

Shay Mitchell is an actor, model, author, and entrepreneur—she launched BÉIS, a travel accessories line in 2018. Here, in her words, Shay shares what it’s been like starting something from scratch—and how fellow women founders have persevered in their own journeys.

As an entrepreneur, let alone a female entrepreneur, there’s not really any road map to follow. There’s no blueprint on how to do this.

The biggest learning curve is trying to figure out your own way.

Starting my own business has been a learning process—a good one and difficult, but it’s been a process nonetheless. It’s also been quite the journey for Alexandra Scholtz, Doris Raymond, and Melody Ehsani, who shared what inspired them to get started—and what has helped sustain them through tougher times.

So, for me, any time I can come in contact with somebody else who’s doing it, I want to soak in as much advice from them as I can. I really wanted to meet and go and speak with different female-owned-and-operated companies. It’s almost kind of like speed dating, like I’m setting myself up to make these new relationships. I am really just trying to expand the community of people I interact with who can give me their takes on what has made them, and their brands, a success.

“There’s a glass ceiling for women in the corporate world with fashion, but more and more people are rising up the ladder. I reached a breaking point, and I just said screw it, I’m going to open a business. It takes passion, which could be anger—in my case it was passion and anger. Be true to yourself.” –Doris

“If you follow your bliss, doors will magically open,” Doris Raymond (right) tells Shay Mitchell about how she carved her path. Gemma Warren

“It’s been four years with Wild Flora, and I think the biggest thing I’ve done is just gone against the grain: unique flowers, different textures, colors. I love, love, love learning...I’ve done my homework throughout the years.” –Alexandra

“I think female entrepreneurs in general have your back,” says Alexandra Scholtz (left). “We look at each other: we don’t know the answers to everything, but your experience might help mine.” Gemma Warren

“I believe in using a physical space, not just for commerce but for community. I want to make it a place where I gather like-minded people who are interested in something bigger than this. So we do a lot of events here, like every month we have the speaker series.” –Melody

“I really want to make this a place where I gather like-minded people who are interested in something bigger than this,” says Melody Ehsani (right). Gemma Warren

I’ve learned a lot about myself throughout the process, but I think the most important part was figuring out how I wanted to be a business woman: how to work with other people, how to start something from scratch, and answering the age-old question of how to turn my passion into something that I can not only share with others, but also make commercially viable. I think if you have passion, eventually you will be successful.

“I am really just trying to expand the community of people I interact with who can give me their takes on what has made them, and their brands, a success,” says Shay. Gemma Warren

Feature image by Gemma Warren
Reporting by Shuang Esther Shan

Female Entrepreneurs FAQ

How many women-owned businesses are there in the United States?

The United States has about 14.5 million women-owned businesses, accounting for 39.2% of all U.S. firms. Together these businesses generate $3.3 trillion in revenue and employ nearly 13 million workers.

Why is funding harder to secure for female entrepreneurs?

Female-only founding teams received just 2.3% of the $289 billion invested globally in venture capital in 2024, compared with 83.6% going to all-male teams. Loan sizes tell a similar story: women typically receive around $59,857 to start a business, well below the $156,279 average loan men receive. Mixed-gender teams captured the remaining share of that funding.

Which industries have the most female founders?

Healthcare, social assistance, professional services, and beauty are among the industries where female founders are most concentrated. These sectors tend to offer lower barriers to entry, though women build businesses across nearly every category, from flowers and fashion to community-focused retail spaces.

Are women-owned businesses growing faster than men's?

Women-owned businesses grew faster than male-owned businesses between 2019 and 2023, with the number of firms up 94.3%, employee counts up 252.8%, and revenue up 82.0%. That pace suggests women entrepreneurs are scaling operations and hiring workers at a quicker rate than their male counterparts, even though funding gaps persist.

What motivates most women to become entrepreneurs?

Most women start businesses because they feel ready to work for themselves, a reason cited by 57.89% of founders, while 37.72% are motivated by dissatisfaction with corporate careers and 29.82% want to pursue a personal passion. These drivers show that independence and creative control often outweigh purely financial goals for many founders.

How can female entrepreneurs improve access to venture capital?

Seeking out venture capital firms with at least one female partner can improve funding odds, since those firms are 2.3 times more likely to invest in female founders. Still, women hold only about 15.4% of partner-level roles at VC firms, so building relationships across investor networks and exploring alternatives like crowdfunding or SBA-backed loans remains a practical backup.

by Shay MitchellPublished on 4 Mar 2019